Ocean (Currents, Waves, Tides, and Seafloor) Practice

The Gulf Stream current shown here makes the waters of parts of the North Atlantic

• warmer

• cooler

• more dense

• less nutrient rich

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

What percent of the earth is covered by water?

• 20%

• 50%

• 70%

• 85%

Trenches in the ocean are

• close to the shore.

• on the continental shelf.

• part of the intertidal zone.

• the deepest part of the ocean.

Some ocean currents are caused by differences in the density of water from place to place around the globe. What two factors cause differences in ocean water density?

• differences in water temperature and wind

• differences in water temperature and phases of the moon

• differences in the amount of dissolved salts and gravity

• differences in water temperature and amount of dissolved salts

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

About 3% of the water on Earth is freshwater. Only about 40% of that freshwater is available for human use. Why is so much freshwater unavailable for human use?

• It is frozen.

• It is polluted.

• It is salt water.

• It is in aquifers.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

Which factor is MOST responsible for the ocean tides?

• the wind

• earthquakes

• the moon's gravity

• density differences in the water

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

Large waves, called __________, are different from surface waves and are usually caused by underwater earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or landslides.

• swells

• tsunamis

• breakers

• capillary waves

Which statement BEST describes why warm ocean currents are usually surface currents?

• Warm water is less dense than cold water.

• Ocean tides bring warm water to the surface.

• Warm water contains more salt than cold water.

• Ocean water loses heat to the air at the surface.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

In the oceans the colder water sinks into deep basins, while warmer water stays closer to the surface. The water then moves around the ocean basin. This causes

• tidal waves.

• wind drifts.

• ocean currents.

• plate tectonics.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

As ocean waves approach the shore, the top of the wave curls over and crashes into the sand. This wave with a curled top is called a plunging

• breaker.

• compression.

• trough.

• wavelength